Synopsis

In the 1930's, scientists discovered a rich collection of Homo erectus fossils near Zhoukoudian, China. The site of "Peking Man" is still yielding new surprises. A team of Chinese and American scientists recently used a new method to date the sandy rock layers in which the fossils were buried. The scientists argue that this species lived at the site as far back as 770,000 years ago, much earlier than previously thought. The discovery raises intriguing questions concerning how Peking Man survived in a period of colder climate that occurred within that time.